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Texas Rangers drop back-and-forth affair with Blue Jays, fall in walk-off fashion

The Rangers couldn’t hold on to a late lead and Kirby Yates surrendered a walk-off single in the ninth inning.

TORONTO — The imperfect moments tend to stick out when the collective body of work has brought anything but.

Texas Rangers closer Kirby Yates has been as close to perfect as the once bullpen-strapped club could’ve hoped for after they signed him in the offseason. He entered play Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre with a 1.22 ERA, a 17-for-17 record in save situations and considerably more strikeouts (51) than walks (17).

The 37-year-old right-hander finally slipped up a 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays that snapped the Rangers’ five-game win streak.

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Yates entered the bottom of the ninth inning with one out and two inherited runners at first and second base left over by right-hander Josh Sborz. He struck catcher Danny Jansen out with a called strike three splitter low in the zone, then fell behind 3-0 to second baseman Spencer Horwitz with two errant splitters and a too-low fastball.

The Rangers then intentionally walked Horwitz — who’d already collected two hits on Friday night — to bring third baseman Ernie Clement up with the bases loaded. Clement smacked a middle-middle Yates splitter into left field to Steward Berroa and walk the Rangers off.

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“I didn’t have command of the splitter, got behind, and in that situation you can’t give in,” Yates said. “You pick your battle with the next guy, and unfortunately I didn’t make a good pitch and we lost the game because of it.”

Toronto Blue Jays' Ernie Clement, left, celebrates after his walkoff RBI single in the ninth...
Toronto Blue Jays' Ernie Clement, left, celebrates after his walkoff RBI single in the ninth inning to defeat the Texas Rangers 6-5 in baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, July 26, 2024.(Christopher Katsarov / AP)

Said Rangers manager Bruce Bochy: “Once he got behind [Horwitz], I decided to make the move to put him on, because he’d seen the ball well tonight. I think the split just stayed up [against Clement], that’s all. That’s always a tough spot when you come in, first and second, one out.”

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Friday’s series opener included five different lead changes and it was tied at two different points. The Rangers took a one-run lead in the first inning on an Adolis García single that scored Marcus Semien, but the Blue Jays led 3-1 after the first when they got to Texas starter Andrew Heaney for two doubles, a single and a walk.

Jonah Heim tied the game in the third inning with a bases-loaded single that scored Corey Seager and Robbie Grossman, then fell behind 4-3 in the fourth inning after Leo Jimenez collected a run-scoring single off of Heaney. García gave the Rangers a 5-4 lead in the fifth inning with a two-run home run off of Toronto starter Yusei Kikuchi. The home run went 328 feet into the right field corner and, according to SportsNet, was the shortest home run in Rogers Centre history.

Heaney allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings. He hadn’t allowed four or more runs in a start since May 23.

“I didn’t really have great stuff, was just kind of trying to battle through it and make some pitches,” Heaney said. “Frustrating that we were on a little bit of a streak, had a one-nothing lead and I just flushed that one away in the first. A little frustrating, tried to battle back.”

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